Method of changing the grain of wood.



MfA. POSSONS. METHOD OF CHANGING THE GRAIN 0P WOOD. urnqnxon FILED NOV. 1a, 1904. nmsmwnn JULY 8, was.

904,446. Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

MINARD A. POSSONS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO ATWELL J. BLACK- FORD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, AND ONE-THIRD TO A. S. PATTISON, OF WASHINGTON, DIS- TRIGT OF COLUMBIA.

METHOD OF CHANGING II-IE GRAIN OF WOOD.

Application filed November 16, 1904, Serial No. 232,996. Renewed July 8, 1908.

T 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, MINARD A. Possoxs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Changing the Grain of Wood, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a method of changing the grain of wood, whereby the natural grain of a wood board may be completely changed, and by which I am enabled to convert a straight or plain grained board of wood into a board with an irregular or curly grain.

The primary object of my invention is to convert a straight or plain grained wood board into an irregular or curly grained board, thus greatly increasing the value of the board for fancy interior work, and furniture. Furthermore, to give to the converted board any desired irregular or curly grain, according to the effect desired to be produced in the way of grain design when the surface of the converted board has been subjected to the usual polishing or hard finish.

To enable my method to be understood more readily than by a mere word description, the same is illustrated as well as practical by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a perspective sectional view of a board before being subjected to my method, which has as indicated at the edges thereof, a plain or straight grain. Fig. 2, is a perspective sectional view of the same section of boardshowing the first step in my method. Fig. 3, is asectional perspective view of the same board shown in Fig. 2 after it has been subjected to pressure.

My method consists in taking the board to have its grain changed and providing it with grooves extending across its surface, as shown at a, preferably by a suitable routing machine. Preferably, this grooving is performedin an irregular manner, as shown in Fig. 2. The board having been grooved, it is subjected to suflicient transverse pressure to straighten out the grooves, which causes the grain thereof to appear substantially in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3. That is to say, the ends of the grain then appear on Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 17, 1908.

3erial No. 442,617.

the surface of the board and the grain of the ungrooved portion is distorted as shown in Fig. 2. The board is then in condition to be fimshed up by the usual polishing method, when it will be found that an irregular or curly effect is produced, in what is known in hard-wood parlance as highlights. If the board when it is grooved, is very green, it may be sufliciently pliable to be subjected to pressure without additional treatment. However, taking the usual commercial board it would benecessary to subject it to any well known steaming process before it is subjected to transverse pressure. Preferably, this steaming process occurs after the routing or grooving step, because the board can be more readily grooved when it is in its commercial state than it can after it is steamed, and better results will be produced by steaming the board after it has been grooved, rather than before, though it will be understood that the essential features of my method will be present if the steaming of the board occurs before the grooving thereof.

While I here show the grooves as of irregular lines and as extending diagonally across the board, because more eflective results can be produced thereby, yet it will be understood that the essential steps in my method would be present, whereby the grain of the wood is changed, if these grooves were to extend in straight lines, whether parallel or otherwise. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, I find to produce the best efiect, the width of the grooving should vary, and should be irregular.

In the practice of my method, it will be understood that any desired or given design of grain can be produced, and that the method so far as the lines of the grain is concerned, and the final visible effect on the surface of the board, is capable of variations limited only by the ingenuity and artistic skill of the designer, enabling a knotty, curly or irregular grained board to be made from a board with a straight or plain grain.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the ordinary cheap commercial plain or straight grained wood, can be converted into a relatively expensive irregular curly or knotty grained wood. It will also be observed that while the grain of the wood can be converted into the grain of a knot, yet

it does not have the disadvantages of the natural knotty wood, because the heart of the knot will have no tendency to become separated or to fall out, which is the case with the heart or kernel of a natural wood knot board. Furthermore, by my method, designs and effective results can be produced from straight or plain grained wood, which cannot be found in natural woods, and also, perfect duplicates, or substantially perfect duplicates of what is known to those skilled in hard-woods as freaky panels can be made from any kind of wood which bring in the market a high price.

The grooved board is kept under pressure sufliciently long to become set, and preferably while under pressure, to facilitate the setting or drying out of the board, it is subjected to hea To those skilled in wood-working, it will be understood that the routing of the board can be cheaply and quickly performed, and that the compressing of the board can also be conveniently and cheaply performed by any well known press of suflicient size. It is also well known by those informed in this. art, that hard-wood is furnished to furniture manufacturers of substantially predescribed sizes for certain purposes, for instance, of suitable sizes for dresser and bureau-work; certain sizes for chair-work; certain sizes for table-work certain sizes for panel-work, and so on, and from which it will be seen that it will not be necessary to treat very large pieces of wood for these ordinary purposes. Should it be necessary, however, totreat large pieces of wood, it is only a question of having machines of sufficient size tov either groove the whole board at one operation, or in sections, or to press the whole board in one operation, or in sections.

Attention is particularly called to the fact that my method does not produce a mere surface effect, but absolutely converts the straight grain into an irregular or c'urly grain, so that for all intents and purposes the converted board is in effect and result, so far as an irregular or curly grained board concerned, as a natural irregular or curly grained board, and having all the characteristics thereof. I also desire it to be understood that a board of} wood which has had its grain changed by my method, may be divided up into thin sheets for veneering purposes, by any of the well known methods of forming said thin sheets, from the board.

From the foregoing description, it will be observed that my method so acts on the natural grain of the board treated that it may be aptly described as upsetting the natural grain of the board.

While my method is more particularly intended for converting straight or substantially straight grained boards into irregular or curly grained boards, I desire it to be understood that the method may be pract-iced on irregular or curly grained wood for changing to some extent the grain thereof, whereby a composite or compound irregular or curly effect will be produced.

As is well known, when a board is subjected to a steaming process, the adhesive or sticky matter thereof becomes softened, tending to make the board more or less flexible, and that when the board is in this condition, it can be shaped into irregular forms, and if held in the irregular shapes until the grain has become set, it will remain in its changed shape. Owing to this characteristic of wood, the grain thereof, by my process, can be more perfectly and more easily upset when the adhesive matter is soft. I find from the actual practice of my method, that I am able to completely and absolutely change the grain of wood, and to produce thereby very effective results in the way of irregular and curly grained effects, and even from a straight grained wood board.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-' cut, is

1. An improved method of changing the grain of a wood board which consists in grooving the surface only partially through the thickness thereof, and subjecting the grooved surface to pressure to upset the grain of the grooved portion and to distort the grain of the ungrooved portion of the board.

2. An improved method of changing the grain of a wood board which consists in grooving opposite surfaces thereof only partially through the thickness thereof, and subjecting the grooved surfaces to pressure to upset the grain of the grooved portion, and to distort the grain of the ungrooved portion of the board.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature .in presence of two witnesses.

MINAR-D A. POSSONS.

WVitnesses GEORGE Woon, L. L. NARMAN. 

